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Why would this be useful? If you wanted to come back and look up your quotes, or buy anything else from us, you'd find all your details still here, so you wouldn't have to answer all the questions again - a bit of a result

You won’t find a better offer on a new policy from any of the many insurers and brokers we work with, even if you approach them direct.

In this Article

They have all promised to offer MoneySuperMarket users their top deals, so you know the premiums we quote won’t be bettered on their own sites.

And that means you could end up saving a substantial amount by shopping around at renewal, rather than allowing your policy simply to roll over with your existing insurer.

But how exactly can you use MoneySuperMarket to search for cheap car insurance? Let’s find out…

Getting started…

It’s best to have your car’s registration number handy when you use MoneySuperMarket to find motor insurance.

Even if you don’t, you can still get a quote as long as you know the car’s make, model, engine size and age, whether it runs on petrol or diesel, and whether it has automatic or manual transmission.

You’ll also need your address, date of birth, the type of licence you hold (including details of any driving convictions), details of claims you’ve made in recent years, and information on any medical conditions or disabilities that could affect your driving.

If you have to inform the DVLA about your medical condition, your insurer will need to know too.

If you’re not sure whether you need to provide details of a medical condition, you can check here. You should also talk to your GP – she or he will advise you on what you need to do.

If you fail to report a medical condition to the DVLA, you could be fined £1,000. You might also be liable to prosecution if you are involved in an accident.

If you fail, when asked, to inform your insurer about a medical condition, you risk voiding you policy, which might mean any claim you make would not be paid, or not paid in full.

Claims and convictions

You must inform your insurer if you have any unspent driving convictions, have been in an accident or have made any insurance claims in the last five years.

Insurers also want to know about any non-driving convictions you have had, such as for fraud.

Failing to tell the truth in answer to any question on an insurance proposal could lead to any cover you buy being null and void should you need to make a claim.

Payments and discounts

Your car, your address and your driving history are not the only factors that have an impact on the cost of car insurance.

You’ll be offered a significantly lower premium if you have built up a no claims discount (NCD). For example, if you have five years of claims-free driving, you could see 70% chopped off your premium.

You can also pay an additional amount to ‘protect’ your NCD, so you would not lose the discount if you made a claim.

Remember, the discount is applied to your premium, and your premium can change from year to year. So even if your NCD remains the same, the amount you pay could increase.

Avoid instalments if you can

The way you pay for your cover can also affect the price. As a general rule, it is cheaper to pay upfront in one go if you can.

That is because the majority of insurers charge interest if you opt to pay by monthly instalments – and the rates can be quite high (as much as 30% in extreme cases).

So an upfront premium of £400 could cost closer to £500 if you paid it in instalments.

If you can’t afford to pay in one go, you could take out an interest-free purchase credit card and use it to pay the premium upfront. You could then paid the card balance in 12 equal amounts and not pay any interest.

More about your car

Insurers want to know how much any car they cover is worth, so they can work out the potential cost of replacing it should it be damaged beyond repair, or stolen and not recovered.

We make working this out easier by using a car industry valuation service to give you an idea.

But if you think the car is worth more or less, just change the amount, remembering to be as accurate and realistic as possible.

Modifications such as a non-standard spoiler are one reason the value of the car might be different to the industry average.

Insurers also want to know about these, as they could affect the cost of any repairs needed during the policy term.

In some cases, insurers charge significantly more if a car has been modified in case the original safety features of the car have been weakened.

How you use your car

The more miles you drive, the more likely you are to make a claim.

So getting the cover you need means telling insurers whether you use your car to get to work, or for business as well as private use.

Again, it pays to be honest here as claims can be rejected. For example, if you have an accident while driving for work purposes after saying you only use your car socially, your insurer might refuse to pay out.

Insurers also use the number of miles your drive to calculate the cost of your policy.

To work out your annual mileage, think about how many miles you cover in an average week then multiply that by 52 – before adding in an estimate for longer, one-off journeys such as weekends away.

Then, tell us where you usually park your car overnight and during the day. If you park in a garage or on a driveway, you’ll pay a bit less than if you park on the road.

More about you

Once you’ve entered your full name and email address (so that we can email you the results of your search), you will come to a series of questions about you as an individual.

You might wonder why we want to know whether you are married, or what job you do. It’s because insurers use all this information to weigh up how likely you are to make a claim.

If you fall into more than one category for these questions – for example both Divorced and Widowed – ask for a quote with each and choose the best one for you.

Additional drivers

The final question in this section refers to who else will be driving your car.

You can add up to three drivers to your policy.

But while adding an experienced driver may even lower your premium, putting a younger person on will almost certainly increase it.

Don’t be tempted to lie about who is the main driver to get cheaper insurance – it’s called ‘fronting’, and it’s against the law. If you’re answers aren’t truthful, your cover might be invalidated.

One click and you’re away!

Once you’ve chosen the right policy at the right price, simply click on the link to be taken to the insurer’s website and buy your cover.